You’re beautiful vs Ikemen Desu, Ne! :Drama wars!

To improve on my Japanese I listen to alot of music and get through loads of dramas, but if you asked me what my favourite drama of all time was out of the 1 Korean and 5 billion Japanese titles I would pick the Korean drama, ‘You’re Beautiful’.

Heavonly.

‘You’re beautiful’ is a wonderful drama which has made me bawl my eyes out like a chump, but also made me do my satisfied-psycho-witchy-cackle laugh.
So when I discovered this had been remade in Japan, titled ‘Ikemen desu ne’ I was a little more than worried. Japanese dramas usually get wrapped up pretty quickly due to the series being an average of 10 or less episodes, but in this case I could be wrong as the episodes are 40minutes longer.

So for those who are completely unaware of what this drama is and was brought here by typing your favourite Asian idols name, I will explain the oddness that is this series.

The show is based around the character ‘Go Mi Nyu’, who is going about her daily duties as a virgin nun in training preparing to go to abroad to become certified like her mentor and the frequent advisor in her fantasies.
She is then stalked by the agent of her identical twin brother ‘Go Mi Nam’, who has just been accepted as the 4th member of current, successfully-sexy group A.N.GELL.

What are idols without crazy fangirls? They are nothing.

It’s then revealed that Go Mi Nam wanted to become famous so that their mother whom they assumed abandoned them at birth would recognise him and have an awkward reunion.
However, after a botched eyelid surgery which left her brother unable to close his eyes, Go Mi Nyu takes his place as the 4th member of A.N.JELL.
The rest of the series revolves around her trying to keep her gender a secret, which is understandably difficult when you frequently find yourself in a changing room surrounded by men.

So I’ll get straight to it, the Japanese version has completely missed the point, but when I see the kids they’ve cast for the lead roles it all becomes clear.
This remake is almost completely identical to the original, only some ass-hat thought it would be a good idea to take away almost all of the humour. Now it is just another gender bender drama, with weighty emotional issues sucking all the fun out of it.

Gender bender, Go Mi Nam

The lead character Miko (Go mi nam), whom this drama is supposed to be based around is so dull that I have no feelings towards her. I don’t even hate her, I just wonder why she is there. This is in no way the fault of the actress who actually does a very good job! But her character has been drained of personality, so that when something ‘dramatic’ does happen and she makers her “ZOMG! WTF!?” face, it’s pretty damn weird. Its a shame but so far all her humorous scenes from the beginning of the series have been taken out so far…something her character needs.

The character who most benefits from these humorous moments are Katsuragi Ren (Hwang Tae Kyung in the Korean version) who is initially very cold, and a seemingly uncaring person.

However, through various events that I won’t spoil too much (she pukes in his mouth!) you come to understand that his coldness is more from his own clumsiness when it comes to friendship and even love.
He is a deep, musical genius who is troubled by his past and Tamamori Yuta failed tremendously at portraying him.

Experience vs youth

Relying more on his angrily plucked eyebrows to play the role instead of doing that thing actors sometimes do…’act’. In the Korean version his anger and feistyness served as comic relief, but in this version…it’s just awkward.

I realise it’s not all of these bad actors fault, a lot of it is down to the fact that so many of the scenes where you grow to love the characters, have been taken away and replaced with quick scenes of Kyung/Ren scrubbing a smudge on the table or doing the dishes…obviously because that is the only way to represent someone who likes cleanliness.

An undeniable fact here is that Jang Geun Suk from the Korean version got this role from extensive acting experience, whilst Tamamori Yuta got it from being a Johnny.

My favourite, possibly the only character the J-version got right

By saying this I run the risk of Johnny’s Entertainment fans hexing me and cursing my unborn Ameerkittens, but probably the only groups I don’t care about are ‘Hey!Say!Jump!’ and ‘Kis-My-Ft2′ so I have no problem in critising their performance.

Factually they are too young to realistically represent these mature characters, and in comparison have barely any acting experience when it comes to starring as main characters.

If they were remaking any other drama, I would probably let this slide…but they didn’t, and what annoys me most is that J-drama fans who are unaware of the original will probably think this is worth their time. It isn’t.

Ok...don't pretend you don't see a difference here...honestly!?

Also if this ‘Johnny’s Entertainment’ thing is going over your head, basically it’s the greastest young male talent recruiter in all of Japan. They kidnap KAWAII looking boys and turn them into a little girls fantasy in both the music and television.

So if you love Asian dramas solely because you like looking at idols, then Ikemen Desu Ne is for you! But if you favour actual acting talent, a wonderfully developed storyline with plenty of laughs with relatable moments then you should opt for You’re Beautiful/Minami Shineyo. It set the bar so high that to be fair, anyone trying to mimic it would fail miserably.

The Japanese version...

(Ikemen desu ne is currently still airing in Japan)

Response to some people:

‘To improve on my Japanese I listen to alot of music and get through loads of dramas, but if you asked me what my favourite drama of all time was out of the 1 Korean and 5 billion Japanese titles I would pick the Korean drama, ‘You’re Beautiful’.’

This is obviously an exaggeration that I thought I wouldn’t have to point out, however some ladies have been pointing out my ‘ignorance’ at having only watched one.

Anyone else smell the irony?

So….no one has a problem with me watching 5 billion j-dramas? I mean…who has that kind of time!? Are there even 5 billion in existence? No really, I want to know!

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25 thoughts on “You’re beautiful vs Ikemen Desu, Ne! :Drama wars!”

Great post! This was my very same impression of “Ikemen desu ne”. I wanted to like it, but couldn’t… :-( They can’t even compare, imho… Unfortunately I expected much more from the Japanese, but it seems certain (Korean at least) formulas are not compatible with the Japanese trend and/or the mind of producers & co. Seeing this dry version of a great drama made me want to watch the whole Korean version again!

I’m glad someone agrees as so far there is a lot of hype around the drama, and I couldn’t understand why! I really did try to like it too, but it actually pained me!
I also went back to the Korean version after I endured this!
Thanks a lot for reading!

Indeed… I rewatched the whole thing and discovered some things I missed the first time around. And it seems I tend to rewatch all my fav dramas after this. XD
Even if JGS made a cameo and cheered on the J-version… I’m still not convinced. He was probably the only character in the whole Ikemen desu ne drama that was credible… I do wonder what he really thinks about the remake… I think JGS – and the other A.N.Jells have at least intelligence above average – if I’m not to say big words… I could believe Hwang Tae Kyeung was a genius because JGS knew how to portray one without seeming corny or forced…

Hmmm, well I guess it’s just different strokes for different folks. If you ask me, I did not see anything special with JGS’s acting in YB. And yet, here’s a new comer (actor playing Ren) and I think he is more convincing with his acting.

And I beg to disagree with jdramas, including dozens of those with idols in the cast, are loved because people/fans just like to ogle at their idols. Mostly, I think, become fans of an idol because of their acting in a drama.

If you’re choosing YB over 5 billion Japanese titles, I wonder how many jdramas have you really watched? Jdramas have not become famous because they have 100x hotter actors than other countries’ dramas.

Hi, thanks for taking the time to comment. I’m very open to others opinions on the dramas, and this post is just my own.
Primarily I ONLY watch Japanese dramas, but this Korean one in particular I came across by accident but I have no issues saying it’s one of the best dramas I’ve watched. It’s a full drama, where love doesn’t occur in episode 2 and nothing felt rushed but I think this is more due to the length. Please don’t misunderstand and assume it is me saying Korea is better than Japan. I don’t care about stupid stuff like that, I am simply comparing this drama to its remake.

I personally feel it’s undeniable that a good portion of people support certain idols because of their looks. This is the way they are marketed afterall! At no point though did I state that all of their fans are nutter fangirls wanting to marry them….otherwise I would be placed into that category too. My point was a Johnny can get a main role in a drama solely because he is a Johnny, and not for acting talent/experience.
I’m not insulting every J-idol, in fact I’m a huge Kanjani8 fan…not because they are all ‘hotties’, but because I think they have the talent to be there and I enjoy the music they release.

We’ll just have to agree to disagree about Ren. I think he’s rubbish and doesn’t have the experience to be in a drama of this scale. But as the cast are all Johnny’s it seems obvious that this remake was in order for them to release songs under A.N.GELL. in the same way Shuji to Akira did.

I mostly agree with you about Ikemen Desune, especially about the lack of humor — that was exactly my impression. I understand the need to hurry things along plotwise because of the shorter Japanese format, but when the humor is such a large part of what made the original so special and lovable, even though not always part of the essential plot, the decision to leave most of it out was ill-taken. And also like you, I went right back to Minamishineyo, watched the entire series all over again and had a great time!

Agreed! I’m not sure why anyone thought it was a good idea to take the humour out! The Japanese can be hilarious, so I guess this can be blamed on the producer! Silly man!
I was wondering the same thing about length, but the episodes appear to be twice as long as the Korean…I can’t think what on though!
Thank you for reading!

The Japanese episodes have a length of 45 minutes, against the Korean’s 65 min. per episode.
This means that, all in all, the Korean drama is a total of 17 hours while the Japanese is not even the half (8 hours more or less).

I think you mistook the lengh because the first episode was longer, i.e. it lasted 1 hour.

hi there :D great review by the way and i guess we do have the same opinions.

when i watched Minamishineyo, i was constantly looking forward to the next episode, and i actually liked the humor involved with the characters. each episode usually had very funny scenes.

however, after watching the first episode from Ikemen desu ne, i have no desire to watch it further. i felt they have emptied the characters of personality or humor. i find it dull and not-so-lively as compared to Minamishineyo. :(

i’m a big fan of jdramas, but this one doesn’t really lived up to my expectation.

I actually agree with anna_banana.
The original was more humourous, but this version has a depth to it that the original lacked. Without fussing unnecessarily over secondary characters or comedic scenes which only served to portray a clumsy and whiny Go Mi Nam, this version concentrates on the reasons behind each choice and brings closure to most of the characters.
Mio is a sweet, generous girl out of her element, while Go Mi Nam is an overly humble, dominated female, with no pride or self respect. It’s funny how little details can make such a difference in defining a fictional character.
And while Tae Kyung was downright rude most of the time, Ren has a sweet side that I personally find more endearing and believable.

I’m not discussing the acting talent, but the screenwriter choices to enphasize certain aspects in favours of others.
Overall, Ikemen gives out a very young impression, while You’re Beautiful wanted to be more grown-up and ended up being childish, with some overacted parts which added to the humour but not to the plot flow.

Ironically, watching Ikemen made me understand what I didn’t like in You’re Beautiful to begin with, despite this last having a more experienced cast.

Thank you ameerkat for giving me the chance to express my opinion. And thank you for posting this “drama war”: it’s quite interesting. :)

Haha! I’m glad you agree about how interesting it is! That’s when I thought when I started writing, so thanks for being a part of it!
You’re probably right, and it just comes down to peoples drama taste, I myself really hate overly serious dramas and favour the lighthearted ones and I appreciate a lot of people prefer to be moved my more dramatic and emotional scenes.
I totally get what you say about Go Mi Nam’s silliness, that kind of character can annoy a lot of people, even me at times! But I wouldn’t trade that vomit scene for anything in this world!
Thank you for taking the time to comment! :)

I must admit I myself missed the whole book-shelf/spit on candle scene which saw me doubled with laughter in the original and Tae Kyung thinking he was on Hidden Camera.
And yes, I guess my biggest problem with YB is Go Mi Nam, and in lesser degree Tae Kyung.

This said, I was wondering if you are still watching this japanese version or if you gave up. After all, I for one don’t see why with the hundreds of dramas available, one should spend time watching something one doesn’t like.

I hope more people will take the time to comment: a true war needs enemies as well as allies. ;)

You see, I love those scenes more than anything! I always appreciate the things that make me piss myself laughing!

I watched the first 3 episodes that were released at the time, I haven’t watched any of the ones after this though. How is it going? I’m not good with serious dramas! Go Mi Nam’s life is depressing enough! She is quite an annoying character…and in my opinion chose the wrong man! :p
But with her vomit and spit scenes, and TK’s boar and fanclub scenes…I forgave them! :3

Ha, it is a gentle war! I genuinely like to hear the opinions of those who disagree with me, it’d be boring as hell if everyone agreed!
Thanks for keeping it cool! After all, it’s only a dramas!

It’s going well and the latest episodes reinforced my convinction: comedy aside, this version says more in less time. They made the most with subtle differences and since korean dramas tend to get more and more angsty from the second half onwards, I’d say the “serious” parts of this plot are definitely better executed.

The last episode will air this coming saturday. I only hope they are not going to give us the same lame ending as in the original. :S

Now I wonder if you have seen Hana Kimi and what do you think of its remake… I guess it could be a good battle material too, I for one am not sure I can put up with a different Nakatsu! ;)

I really really loved the Korean version best. If I hadn’t watched the Korean version I would’ve really loved the Japanese version. The problem was that I knew what the characters were supposed to be like and was irritated when the Japanese actors didn’t deliver the lines properly. It did seem as if they rushed over a lot of important moments. Ren, as well as the other actors, seemed to switch emotions too quickly but I would have to blame it on the director. Sometimes I couldn’t feel the anger or the happiness because it seemed to come out of nowhere which made it feel completely fake. Towards the end though it got better as the characters emotions started to regulate. I think the actors did a pretty good job on everything except for some of the romantic scenes. I couldn’t feel any passionate emotions coming from Yuki for Mio. The director completely rushed into it, completely missing the point of the whole ‘water fight scene’ as well as others. When she turned down Yuki, I didn’t feel like it was that big of a deal. In the Korean version I cried when he was rejected, I could feel his pain. Not so in this Japanese version. The kissing scenes and hugging scenes were all so stiff. They completely ignored the birthday scenes where his feelings really started to develop. Worst of all, Ren doesn’t know how to cry, though Mio makes up for it partially. On the scene where Hwang Tae Kyung grabs Go Mi Nam’s hand and they’re both crying, Ren messed it up because he couldn’t cry convincingly. He just looked angry. The Japanese version was great, but this pissed me off the most!!!!!!!!!

So overall, the show was rushed and the director didn’t understand it, makes me wish I was a director. I hate watching so many good stories not living up to their potential because a “director” just couldn’t wait to get their hands on it.

I haven’t watched all of Ikemen Desu Ne yet and I don’t think I’m going to. It either copies You’re Beautiful exactly or completely lacks luster. I don’t even think that JGS did his best acting in You’re Beautiful, but it’s still a thousand times better than anything that I’ve seen so far in IDN…

I found Go Min Nam annoying in the original, and much better developed in Ikemen Desu Ne. However, the acting was a lot more convincing in the original, and I found the actors more attractive as well (especially Hongki and Yonghwa!) What I don’t like about Korean dramas is that they always make the female leads helpless, annoying, or overly pathetic, but at the same time the quality of production is usually higher and the cast is better looking. In the Japanese version, like rita said, characters are given better closure and you understand their motivations much better. So I have mixed feelings about which is better.

Hey there!
I’m a fan of you’re beautiful from the first hour and i love it (and watched it for dozens of times…) until now.
When I heard that there is a remake, I had to find out more about it especially because it’s a j-dorama. I’m through half of the first episode now and must admid that I like mio more than Go mi nam. The other characters are not comparable to the original, unfortunately. Now, the reason why I read this blog entry was I wanted to find out if it is worth it to continue watching it.
I’m not a great fan of dramas in general just because they are all quite the same and mostly too serious. Those dramas which try to be funny, never reach me…

You’re beautiful is quite my all time favourite and the reason for that is because of is lightness and of his humour. I just ADORE Hwang Tae Kyung! His character is totally unique and well done. It reminds me of Barney in how i met your mother or Sheldon in The Bigbang theory… how one character totally dominates the series not because he is the main character but because of his uniqueness, of his genius character design. I wouldn’t want to marry Tae Kyung though… he’s totally neurotic… but soooo adorable!
And that the essence… what makes the series unique as well.
It’s a shame that there aren’t any series like this one.. but then again, it is so difficult to copy uniqueness =P

I am a fan of YAB and rewatched it so many times, it’s crazy. Even my two year old daughter calls Jang Geun Suk’s photos Go Mi Nam.

With that said, connecting this post with this comparison between YAB and IDN, I’ll say I will pick YAB. Just as the others said, YAB is a good-feel drama. I watched half of IDN and as much as I want to continue watching, it kind of rubbed me of that desire. With YAB, you can’t let the end of each epi go. You wanna keep watching or you wanna watch the next one right away. I felt this connection with Mi Nam right away, maybe because she made all of us human. All her flaws and clumsiness are normal stuffs that happen to us but never dare to really act out or speak out. The things she do, it makes me wanna say, “I might have done the same thing”. Her character is suppose to be clueless. All the kissing and the love she feels, she’s suppose to be naive about it. She never went through any of those emotions in her life, being limited to the convent. It kind of complimented Tae Kyung’s character. Maybe that is why the series is such a hit. The characters compliment each other, not only The AnJeLLs but even little characters like Manager Ma, the President, the reporter or even just the dog, Angelina Jolie.

When I watched IDN, I could see that they did try to give depth to the characters. Ren do have a different depth, even Mio. However, in doing this, they took out the humor that YAB-fans connected with. The important scenes, they did it in a different way. After watching that part when Mio searched for the ring (their only link to their Mom), which she thought Ren threw, it was the end for me. I found it really exaggerated. A lot of scenes they exaggerated. At first I thought it was because they just wanna give more depth to the characters. But in the end, the humor was really lacking. I appreciate the depth but not the way they tackle the important scenes.

Different strokes for different folks.

I like YAB not because of the pretty faces. It’s the laughs, the pain…. the connection. Even just watching MiNam sing Without Words could make you cry, if you knew what she been through. That emotion of liking someone for the first time and that someone telling you that it’s not okay to like them. A total misunderstanding. Conflicting emotions. Tae Kyung don’t even realize he is being mean to her, and confusing the heck out of her. And confusing himself as well. IN IDN, their feelings are totally transparent. The conflicting emotions are not there. The ironies of the story behind the emotions are not connected.

All in all, I would still commend the IDN for trying. But I would rewatched it as I did for YAB. The only drama I can watch again and again and again.

I like Korean version better since I really love actors and actress in the drama lol…. Jang Geun Suk was a child model when he was just five years old and he start acting probably when he was 12-13. Lee Hong Ki and Park Shin Hye were well-known child actor and actress as well. So, they were very good at acting to show their character’s behavior or emotion.
Of course, Korean version has more episodes than Japanese one…so I can enjoy the drama more.

I know this is uber late (it’s 2013!) but I came unto the Minami Shineyo phenomenon pretty late.

1. I agree, I really wanted to like Ikemen desu ne but it was bland and the acting felt terrible. I also could not get attached to Miko. To me, it doesn’t matter if the characters have “better closure.” If they lack personality and the ability to capture your heart… what is even the point of closure? I did not feel “touched,” only like I was watching different events unfold trying to get at something that was just out of reach. I love the breadth of the original compared to the “depth” of the Japanese version. I honestly felt like THAT was unnecessary (some people felt it the opposite).

Think about it, I was moved to tears WITHOUT needing to spend a lot of time on the main characters. To me, that actually makes the drama better, not worse. I felt the Japanese version spent a lot of unnecessary time “developing” the main characters and it made the drama move really slow for me. That I was attached to Go Mi Nam and Hwang Tae Kyung without needing all the in-depthness, speaks volumes to me. Here’s another thing to think about: When you get attached to a person in real life, it isn’t because you know their entire life story before-hand, correct? We fall in love, sometimes in an instant, in just the first meeting… because it’s not the person’s LIFE STORY we fall in love with — it’s the person’s CHARACTER. This is the same way we make friends — based on character, not history. This is why, even though some of you are correct in that the J-version spends more time on the main characters, I disagree that it is anything that makes it “better.” In the K-version, you know who each of the characters are, you know their personality, without having to spend a lot of time knowing their stories or seeing them do every little thing. In the original, you get attached to Tae-Kyung, Shin-Woo and Jeremy almost equally, and it makes for a more complex emotional feeling toward the drama.

2. I disagree that the J-drama told more in less time. This is true for someone only focused on the main characters. Just because the original did not spend as much time “developing” the main characters, doesn’t mean they told less of a story. In this case, the real comparison is breadth versus depth. In my opinion, to keep the story fresh, lively and so that I don’t get downright bored, breadth is the better option. For example, rather than watch the Truman show and see every little thing one single character is doing from morning to night, I’d rather see something unfold between many characters. I wouldn’t watch the anime Naruto if it was just about Naruto all show long.

3. I disagree at the KAWAII boys thing about Johnny’s Entertainment. –what kawaii boys?! They are incredibly ugly (lol)! I really do think that the J-version could’ve been much better with better looking actors (and actresses).

To understand my view point, first of all, I am-mixed (hawaiian, filipino, spanish, portuguese, chinese) and live in Hawaii where you live with people of all cultures and see them every day on ‘Oahu — not just when you go to a certain part of the island. I have friends of all ethnicities; I’ve even dated someone from nearly all ethnicities. I am very familiar with asian aesthetics and none of the japanese males in Ikemen Desu Ne were good-looking to me. I have no idea why people are even star-struck at idols such as them. The cast of Atashinchi no Danshi was far better looking…

Now, Minami Shineyo was my second-ever K-drama (first is SungKyunKwan) and all I’ve watched up until a year ago were J-dramas and anime. Based on that, you can probably rule out that I am bias toward Korean dramas/idols. Even with being unfamiliar with K-dramas, singers, etc. I was taken aback at how beautiful these Korean idols are! Also, even with being unfamiliar with K-drama, I was amazed at the quality of production. The only J-drama I’ve seen (out of 25 or so) that really captured my heart, felt well-produced with attention to detail, created attachment to the characters (even though it didn’t get too unnecessarily in-depth with them), and all the while was comedic-based was Atashinchi no Danshi. At that rate… and after seeing Minami Shineyo, I wonder why I should even keep watching J-Dramas…

I watched You’re Beautiful and liked it, but it’s definitely not my favorite K-drama. I never got around to watching Ikemen desu ne because I thought (based on posts like this one) that it wasn’t worth my time. Recently, though, I decided to give it a shot and I LOVE it. I’ve totally fallen in love with Tamamori Yuta. I find his portrayal of Ren hilarious and way more likeable than Jang Geun Suk. You really thought this drama had no humor? I thinks it’s got LOADS. Fujigaya Taisuke is spot on and very different from his character in Begginers (that’s how I know he can act). I don’t like Hikaru as much as Hong Ki, but it didn’t ruin the show for me. The lead girl is fine too. I swear to Shisus they cast her because she resembles Park Shin Hye in her facial expressions. But the one that steals the show is defs AKB48’s Kojima Haruna. She does evil so well. I wish she’d get more roles like this one. IMO… Ikemen desu ne is better. It’s very different from the J-dramas I’m used to watching and that must be because it’s based on a K-drama. That must be what I love so much about it. A J-drama that reads like a K-drama: the perfect mix. As far as Johnny’s goes… I was a fan of KAT-TUN and NEWS back in the day. Now that Jin and Yamapi are soloists I need a new JE group to love. I can’t really get into Hey!Say!, but Kisumai filled the void.

I think that the Korean version is SO MUCH BETTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IDN did a good job, but I don’t think we could compare it with You’re Beautiful. Park Shin Hye and Jang Geun Suk is very adorable and funny and the Japanese ones somehow didn’t catch my interest at all.